Yemen at its true size
Yemen covers 455,503 km², number 54 of 194 countries by area. Home to 41,773,878 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 455,503 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 41,773,878 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 92 per km² |
| Capital | Sana'a |
| Local time in Sana'a | |
| Time zone | UTC+3 IANA |
| Currency | Yemeni Rial (YER) Wikidata |
| Languages | Arabic |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Western Asia, Asia |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +967 |
| Codes | YE · YEM · 887 |
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Where Yemen ranks
Among the independent states, in 32 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#37 of 19442 million people#16 of 48 in Asia
- Population density#96 of 19492 people per km²#33 of 48 in Asia
- Urban population#155 of 19237% urban#39 of 47 in Asia
- Fertility rate#13 of 1924.50 births per woman#2 of 47 in Asia
- Population growth#15 of 192+2.89% a year#7 of 47 in Asia
- Birth rate#11 of 19234.4 births per 1,000 people#2 of 47 in Asia
- Death rate#178 of 1924.7 deaths per 1,000 people#36 of 47 in Asia
- Children under 15#17 of 19241.0% under 15#2 of 47 in Asia
- People over 65#183 of 1922.5% aged 65 and over#44 of 47 in Asia
- Net migration#95 of 192−0.4 per 1,000 people#29 of 47 in Asia
- Refugees abroad#53 of 1901.37 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#13 of 47 in Asia
Health & education
Economy
- Unemployment#11 of 17817.3% of the labour force#1 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in agriculture#56 of 17831.6% of jobs#14 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in industry#153 of 17811.1% of jobs#45 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in services#92 of 17857.3% of jobs#22 of 47 in Asia
- Mobile subscriptions#181 of 19151 subscriptions per 100 people#46 of 47 in Asia
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#166 of 1850.26 tonnes a person#47 of 47 in Asia
- Forest area#179 of 1921% forest#43 of 47 in Asia
- Renewable energy#160 of 1903.7% renewable#29 of 47 in Asia
- Access to electricity#144 of 19286.3% with electricity#45 of 47 in Asia
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#15 of 19146.8 µg/m³#12 of 47 in Asia
- Protected land#183 of 1911.1% of the land protected#46 of 47 in Asia
- Arable land#159 of 1902.2% of the land arable#39 of 47 in Asia
- Water stress#6 of 176169.8% of its available fresh water#5 of 47 in Asia
- Precipitation#167 of 180167 mm a year#39 of 47 in Asia
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Yemen’s area, lit up on the map →
- Uzbekistan1.01×Yemen and Uzbekistan are almost exactly the same size.
- Papua New Guinea0.98×Yemen and Papua New Guinea are almost exactly the same size.
- Sweden1.02×Yemen and Sweden are almost exactly the same size.
- Morocco1.02×Yemen and Morocco are almost exactly the same size.
- Iraq1.04×Yemen is 4% larger than Iraq.
- Cameroon0.96×Yemen is 4% smaller than Cameroon.
How many times does Yemen fit into…
- Russia: about 37 times
- Canada: about 22 times
- United States: about 22 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Yemen shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Summits
- Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb3,666 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Yemen. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Yemen
- How big is Yemen?
- Yemen covers 455,503 km², which makes it number 54 of 194 countries by area. About 41,773,878 people live there (2025), 92 per km².
- Is Yemen bigger than Uzbekistan?
- Yemen and Uzbekistan are almost exactly the same size. Yemen: 455,503 km²; Uzbekistan: 448,978 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Yemen?
- Yemen lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Yemen?
- Yemen shares a land border with Saudi Arabia, Oman.